Burning Water // Oberyn Martell

Chapter 4

Maya sometimes wished that she was part of an incredibly large family like Evelyn. That way her father wouldn't always notice if she was missing because she would have so many siblings that he couldn't tell if one wasn't present. The truth was, Mace Tyrell often did not notice if one of his kids was not present at meals especially since their mother had died. Of all times for her father to finally find it necessary to make sure all his kids were present was the one-time Maya didn't want to be noticed.

She had tried to slip away from the party especially when she saw the servants begin to ask the guests to clear a circle in the center of the hall. That was the signal to 'get your wits about you and take deep breaths' as Willas put it. Or as Garlan bluntly stated, 'Get your rear in gear and kick some serious butt'. To be honest, that was a nicer version of what he really said.

"Come on Maya!" Loras cried, grabbing his sister's hand. "You know that if you turn up late it will be even more embarrassing."
Maya groaned as she allowed her brother to lead her through the crowd to where her siblings were flocking.

"I thought I was the one who didn't want to dance," Loras muttered under his breath as he pushed his sister toward Garlan, Willas and Margaery.

Willas smiled gently at his sister before taking both her hands in his and bending down to her petite level.

"Don't worry about it, sis," he assured her in his gentle, soothing voice. "It will be over before you know it."
"Unless you mess up," Garlan teased. "Then it will be over even faster!"

Margaery slapped her brother on the arm which shut him up while Willas turned Maya's head to look back at him.

"It's just like when we rehearsed on the beach," he told her. "Just breathe and dance. Don't think about the people around you. You are not dancing for them. You are dancing for you."
Maya sighed, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath.

"Alright." she sighed.

The boy smiled before holding out his arm for her to take. Slipping her arm through his, Maya allowed her brother to lead her into the center of the circle where everyone was now looking. Garlan and Margaery followed before the four of them were standing shoulder to shoulder in the center of the room. The two girls let go of their brothers' arms so that Willas could step forward to speak.

While Willas was greeting everyone and thanking them for coming, Margaery and Maya walked to opposite sides of the circle before turning inward to face the center of the circle. When Willas finished speaking, he and Garlan stood in the center of the circle, backs to each other while they faced their partner: Garlan to Margaery and Willas to Maya.

(Start video at 0.49)

When the music stopped, Maya noticed that the musicians were waiting.... And she knew why. Willas looked at Maya, his eyes asking her if she wanted to go on. They had practiced an 'encore' which Maya would do on her own, but he had told her that he wouldn't push her to do it if she did not want to.

Maya looked out of the corner of her eye at where Evelyn, Lillia and Nanteza were standing together, watching with bated breath. Lillia was staring in awe at the performance, her hands poised, ready to clap. Nanteza was watching, quite impressed with a soft encouraging smile on her lips. Evelyn's face was calm but the look in her amber eyes told Maya what she was thinking.

Maya looked back at Willas and nodded just slightly. The boy took the message and lifted her to her feet before setting her down. Garlan did the same to Margaery before the three of them began to walk backwards slowly, as if it was still a dance. When they reached the edges of the crowd, they blended in with the rest of the guests, leaving Maya alone in the center of the floor.